Upholding Justice While Pursuing Shared Interests

Upholding Justice While Pursuing Shared Interests

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, Xi Jinping has on many occasions emphasized the importance of upholding justice while pursuing shared interests in China’s foreign relations. This reflects its values. China hopes to see common prosperity across the world and, in particular, accelerated development in developing countries.

The pursuit of shared interests should be aligned with the need to search for mutual benefit, rather than being turned into a zero-sum game. China has the obligation to provide assistance to poor countries within the limits of its own resources. It is necessary to work for justice at the expense of self-interest and fulfill this obligation despite an unfavorable calculus in financial terms.

A healthy approach to the relationship between upholding justice while pursuing shared interests is a principled approach that values friendship, adheres to moral standards, refuses to succumb to the temptations of greed, encourages us to seek gain only when justice is not adversely affected, and embraces a readiness to sacrifice self-interest for justice when need arises. This approach is grounded in traditional Chinese culture and our foreign policy thinking, and embodies the values we cherish. It has won praise from the international community in general and from developing countries in particular. It is a manifestation of China’s soft power.

正确义利观

中共十八大以来，习近平多次强调在外交工作中要坚持正确义利观。义，反映的是一个理念。中国希望全世界共同发展，特别是希望广大发展中国家加快发展。利，就是要恪守互利共赢原则，不搞我赢你输，而是实现双赢甚至多赢。中国有义务对贫穷的国家给予力所能及的帮助，有时甚至要重义轻利、舍利取义，绝不能惟利是图、斤斤计较。树立和贯彻正确义利观，就是有原则、讲情义、讲道义，见利思义、义利兼得，甚至必要时舍利取义。正确义利观体现了中华民族传统美德和中国外交优良品格，进一步丰富了中国外交的价值观，得到国际社会特别是广大发展中国家的普遍赞誉，成为中国软实力的独特标志。